June 25, 2022
Day -7 - Shakedown Ride
After a crazy June full of incredibly hot weather, we're now suffering from daily rain in the form of thunderstorms. Our weather app and our schedules combined to point at today as the best day to take a shakedown ride on the tandem, as configured for our trip.
Since the barge will be hauling our stuff, we don't need to use paniers. So off came the racks, and in their place a seatpost-mounted trunk rack with attached trunk bag. We don't really know what we're going to find on this ride, but it seems prudent to carry some lunch stuff and raincoats. Even in the summer, Holland can give you rain.
For this ride, we did one of our normal training rides. Setting out eastward from Limoux, we rode up the St. Polycarpe valley. The road rises very gently as it passes the village of St. Polycarpe with its abbey, and continues up the valley past farms and isolated houses. It was a gorgeous morning, with a fresh wind from the east and beautiful puffy clouds in a dark blue sky.
After about 10k, things get a bit more serious as the road tilts up to climb over the Pas de la Crouzette. Strava tells me I've ridden up this hill about 150 times, but every time it's a new challenge.
Riders and bike had no problem today. We got up the steep part with aplomb and stopped for a water break in the 10-house village of Buc.
From there, the road is less steep as it winds up into the pine trees and on to the top - 3-4 percent max.
From the top we enjoyed the usual glorious 13k downhill, steep at first, and then flattening out so that no braking is required. Just a serene coast down through the village of Villebazy, then into St. Hillaire with its own abbey. Then down along the vines in a section where we actually have to pedal!
We turned left down to our turnaround point and took another water break at the top of a very short but steepish hill. The tandem posed for another picture.
The rest of the ride was uneventful, except for one déraillement that will need to be investigated. Some adjustment of the chain keeper on the front chainring is evidently required.
We rolled into the garage to the sound of thunder, a few minutes after 12 noon. Luckily the rain held off until about 3:30PM, so despite the rumbles, we weren't even close to getting rained on.
Next step (after fiddling with the chain keeper) is to take the bike to bits and pack it in the suitcase! I think we're ready to go.
Today's ride: 38 km (24 miles)
Total: 38 km (24 miles)
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